Counsel rules graduation-venue reconsideration would be a Brown Act violation
At the March 12, 2026 closed-session pre-meeting, Trustee Kelly attempted to add a motion to reconsider the February 26 graduation- venue vote and return the decision to administration. Board counsel ruled on the record that adding the motion would be a Brown Act violation because the matter had not been agendized: "Member Kelly could suggest that it be added to a future agenda. In an email or some other way…" and "It would be a brown act violation because it wasn't agendized properly." Board President Morgan declared, "the board will not hear this item again." The same pre-meeting saw an exchange in which Kelly framed the venue dispute as "the town is all up in arms and the school is all divided, and you have just thrown fire on something that did not need to be have fire on," and Morgan twice told Kelly, "You do not have the floor. You have not been recognized." This is the procedural close of the graduation-venue thread on the board's record; subsequent community pressure — including the Bates Irvine Bowl petition (final 1,134 signatures; reported at the Feb 26 meeting as "over 1,100" and at the Feb 12 meeting as "700+"), and the Samantha Savage Guyer Field counter- petition launched March 1, 2026 explicitly asking the board to reverse the Feb 26 decision prior to this Mar 12 meeting (now at 1,395 verified signatures, larger than the Bates petition) — did not return the item to the board's agenda.
People referenced
Citations (5)
- Laguna Beach Unified School District · 2026-03-12
It would be a brown act violation because it wasn't agendized properly.
Board counsel on the record at the March 12, 2026 closed-session pre-meeting, responding to Kelly's attempt to add a graduation-venue reconsideration motion. Morgan's response on the same recording: 'the board will not hear this item again.'
- Regular Meeting — Mar 12, 2026 Agenda (Diligent OnePortal) primary Laguna Beach Unified School DistrictLaguna Beach Unified School District · 2026-03-09
The Mar 12, 2026 Regular Meeting agenda does NOT include a graduation-venue reconsideration item — that absence is the operative fact for Brown Act compliance. Counsel's ruling that Kelly's attempt 'wasn't agendized properly' refers to this agenda.
- Laguna Beach Unified School District
Open-session recording of the same March 12 meeting where public comment surfaced the survey breakdown — 'student survey (107 of 213 responded; 47% Guyer Field, 46% Irvine Bowl, ~7.5% no preference)' per the meetings.toml summary — and Morgan stated the decision 'is being upheld' and 'we are not bringing it back.'
- Change.org (Samantha Savage, petitioner) · Samantha Savage · 2026-03-01
Samantha Savage's counter-petition, launched March 1, 2026 — three days after the Feb 26 vote, eleven days before the Mar 12 pre-meeting. Asks the board to reverse its Feb 26 decision prior to the Mar 12 meeting. The petition is the documented community-reconsideration vehicle that the Mar 12 Brown Act ruling foreclosed. Now at 1,395 verified signatures, larger than the Bates petition (1,134).
- Laguna Beach Unified School District · 2026-03-12
Closed-session counterpart to the March 12, 2026 open session (11m11s) — graduation reconsideration / Brown Act ruling context.